But the way top seed Victoria Azarenka closed out her 101-minute 6-1, 6-4 victory over the 19-year-old Stephens created a wave of controversy in the tennis world.

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Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka defeated Sloane Stephens for the chance to defend her 2012 Australian Open title and the No. 1 ranking.

Serving for a place in Saturday’s women’s final at 5-3, the Belarussian blew five match points before Stephens seized her third break point to take the game. The American would serve to stay in the match at 1-6, 4-5.

It was then that Azarenka requested to speak to the tournament doctor and trainer, which resulted in her taking two medical time outs, for her rib and her knee. It was 10 minutes before she returned to the court. When play resumed, Stephens fought to game point, but then lost the next three points—and the match.

In an on-court interview right after the match, a relieved Azarenka said, “I almost did the choke of the year.” Shortly after, she gave ESPN an explanation for having left the court: “I couldn’t breathe, you know. I had chest pain, [it was like] I was having a heart attack or something. I just needed to make sure it was OK because I really couldn’t breathe.”

That was when the outrage began.

“So let me get this straight. She had a lot of nerves and that’s why she left the court. Unbelievable . Are you kidding me? Absolute travesty,” former pro Patrick McEnroe, brother of John, tweeted.

ESPN commentator and former pro Pam Shriver weighed in, recalling that a questionable call in the 2004 Australian Open final between Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters helped usher in the use of the Hawk-Eye electronic ball-tracking system. “Now this injury charade of 10 minutes may change [the] injury rule.”

It seems rules do exist to prevent such lengthy time off-court—if tournament officials want to enforce them.

“The Medical Time Out begins is limited to three minutes of treatment,” reads the ITF Grand Slam rule book, which defines medical conditions as illness or musculoskeletal injury. If gamesmanship comes into question, or if it is deemed that the Medical Rule has been abused, a penalty for unsportsmanlike may apply. A penalty for first offense could include a fine of up to $20,000 or a warning.

“At the conclusion of the three-minute off-court treatment, the player immediately will return to court,” reads the Women’s Tennis Association rule book, which also specifies that medical time outs must relate to a musculoskeletal injury or associated illness. And the penalty? “Any player abuse of this Medical Rule will be subject to penalty in accordance with the Unsportsmanlike Conduct Section of the Code of Conduct.” A penalty for a first offense could include a fine of up to $10,000 or a warning.

By the time Azarenka faced a packed press conference, she’d worked over her story a little: It wasn’t nerves that caused the breathing problem, but the other way around.

“I had to unlock my rib, which was causing my back problem… when the rib blocks, it blocks your diaphragm and you can’t breathe,” she said. “When you cannot breathe you start to panic. You know, I was really panicking, [but] not because I couldn’t convert my match points.”

The timing of the time out was bad, the world No. 1 said: If she’d taken it earlier, her gamesmanship would not be in question.

“When I play and somebody takes a medical timeout, I don’t doubt them,” Azarenka added.

Reuters

Sloane Stephens leaves Rod Laver Arena on Thursday

As for Stephens, she seemed to side with her opponent—brushing off the commentators’ cries that the time out had cost her momentum in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal.

“I wouldn’t say at all what happened affected the match,” mused the teen, who shares a talent agency—Lagardere Unlimited—with Azarenka. She said she hopes the Belarussian wins in Saturday’s final.

Stephens herself has never called a medical time out.

“I don’t even know what you say,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t even know how you would call the trainer to the court. I mean, I don’t know. It happens.”

Upbeat despite the loss, Stephens reiterated that she did her best. Projected to reach a career-high No. 17 in Monday’s rankings thanks to her strong Australian run, she’s motivated to keep climbing to the top.

“It just makes me want to work harder,” Stephens said, adding she’d gotten a text message from men’s world No. 22 Sam Querrey, who shares her coach, David Nainkin. “You might be ahead of me on Monday,” it read, “but in three weeks I’m going to be ahead of you.”

“I said, ‘Uh‑uh,’” Stephens said with a grin. “I have to keep working because I want to stay in front of him.”

Comments (5 of 5)

This article is probably the worst one yet. First of all, it misquotes the rulebook. Secondly, it doesn't even quote the correct rulebook. The WTA Rulebook does not apply to the Grand Slam Tournaments. It should quote the ITF Grand Slam Rulebook. Finally, there is not going to be a fine or a penalty, as the rules are written in a way which makes what happened not a violation of the rules.

This writer should have no credibility, or very little anyway, if he/she can't even relay the correct information.

4:49 pm January 24, 2013

don byrne wrote:

the rules are for injury....nott because you are worried you may lose. get off the soap box. your opinion is ridiculous......she should have been dq'd.

3:45 pm January 24, 2013

Helen Nuschler wrote:

The feeling of not being able to breathe is VERY real in a panic attack. It's hard to believe that is this day and age people still think that "physical" is somehow REAL while panic is wimpy!

As long as we think this way, mental health will never be considered a real phenomenon. In a state of panic, a person actually feels as if they are dying. We see it every day in the emergency room. Our role is to check out if anything is immediately physical and then move on to what caused the panic. AT NO TIME do we think a patient is gaming the system. The two GREAT medical minds of Patrick McEnroe (He is as bad as his brother for bewildering statements) and Shriver should stick to tennis...not their evaluation of a medical time-out.

10:50 am January 24, 2013

Tennis fan wrote:

Azarenka won the match, but she may have also lost a lot of sponsorship money with her blatant show of gamesmanship.

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